The arraignment of a former governor of Kebbi State, Usman Saidu Dakingari, alongside three others, before a Federal High Court sitting in Kebbi could not go on today owing to the failure of the 1st, 2nd and 3rd defendants to appear in court.

Others charged alongside Dakingari are Garba Rabiu Kamba, Sunday Dogonyaro and Abdullahi Yelwa.

The prosecution was given today to bring the defendants before the court for arraignment but repeated evasion of service by the 1st 2nd and 3rd defendants aborted the planned arraignment as only the 4th defendant, Garba Rabiu Kamba who reported to the Commission’s Kano Zonal Office ahead of the arraignment was in court.

The defendants allegedly conspired and received the cash sum of N700 million part of the $115 million allegedly distributed by a former Minister of Petroleum Resources, Deizani Alison-Madueke for the purpose of compromising the 2015 general election.

The money was allegedly warehoused in a new generation bank from where the defendants collected same in cash and distributed among themselves thereby violating the provision of section 1(a) of the Money Laundering Prohibition Act, 2011 (as amended).

When the case came up today, prosecution counsel Johnson Ojogbane informed the court that the prosecution made several attempts to serve the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd defendants but the defendants persistently refused to be served.

Ojogbane subsequently requested the court through a motion experte, relying on Section 382(5) of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act 2015 to allow the prosecution serve the defendants through either their counsel, sureties, an adult member of their household or pasted on their last known address.

Justice Amobeda Simone granted the application of the prosecution as prayed and ordered that the defendants be served within 48 hours through any of their counsel, sureties, an adult member of their household or on their last known address.

On the issue of the 4th defendant, the court allowed him to return home, with instruction to present himself for arraignment on the next adjourned date.

The case has been adjourned to June 25, 2018 for arraignment.

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